DEI unclear amid federal bans

By Prasi Desai     2/25/25 11:06pm

A letter from the Department of Education, issued Feb. 14, warned schools to eliminate race-based programs within 14 days. According to the letter, the ED intends to “take appropriate measures to assess compliance” with these guidelines. 

The letter cites the recent Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard lawsuit concluding that race-based affirmative action violates the 14th amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. The ED said it interprets the ruling as a ban on race-based preferences that have “emanated through every facet of academia.”

Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights at the ED, specifically denounced the consideration of race in housing, admissions, financial aid, hiring and training, calling these endeavors “a shameful echo of a darker period in this country’s history.” A press release on the ED’s website encourages reporting violations of this new policy to to the ED Office of Civil Rights. 

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In an email to students sent on Feb. 21, President Reggie DesRoches reassured students of Rice’s commitment to diversity, equity & inclusion, though he said the university will be complying with federal and state law. In a Feb. 20 statement to the Thresher, a university spokesperson said Rice does not “foresee changes to university operations.”

Although it is unclear how this order will affect existing DEI programs at Rice, the communication identified DEI programs as stigmatizing students who belong to particular racial groups. Trainor provided the example of universities eliminating standardized testing to increase racial diversity in admitted classes as an example of a violation. 

DesRoches said the university is “closely monitoring” legal developments and are working with peer institutions to stay informed on current events both in Texas and nationwide.

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